The gloom that blanketed Bald Knob the other day was palpable: enough to weigh down the Christmas cheer of the season. The culprit was a fog so thick it could be felt. Light didn’t arrive until mid-morning. Even then it was hard for me to get it into gear that morning. There’s something about clear days and sunshine that boosts our spirits. We don’t realize how good it is until the fog and murkiness sets in.
Driving home from a long day back to my farm within a mile of the Shelby County line, the outdoor Christmas lights of several homes on Vigo Road were a welcomed beacon. Even though these December days are the shortest of the year and the weather is often the gloomiest, the festive lights—some flashing, others colored, all very bright—portend something new. We call it Christmas, a holiday becoming increasingly secular yet with deep spiritual roots.
Seven hundred years before the Christ child lay in a manger in Bethlehem, the prophet Isaiah foretold of what this would mean for humanity. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone” (Isaiah 9:2). Of course, light is always preferred over darkness. Yet Isaiah was speaking of something with greater import and depth. His prophecy penetrated deeper than the temporal darkness that we see on the gloomiest of days; it pierced down to the level of the human soul.
After spending three years with the Messiah, John the Apostle referenced Isaiah’s prophetic words and shared what he saw: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4). This Jesus was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14) yet approachable and compassionate, welcoming those “who labor and are heavy laden” and promises rest for their souls (Matthew 11: 28). Jesus shattered stereotypes of what people thought God should be like. Jesus came to establish a kingdom of righteousness and justice (Isaiah 7:b), not through force or coercion but by service and humility (Mark 10:45). In fact, he exposed religious hypocrisy and met the needs of the poor and destitute (Luke 4:18-21). What kind of God does this?
Yet Scripture says people loved darkness rather than light (John 3:19). In other words, they (we) reject the idea of a savior. We reject an otherworldly design that would lead to lives of sacrifice and service, humility and forgiveness. To love darkness is to say we don’t need the light of Jesus, or another way to do life. Yet, this is the calling of the church. To live and move and have our being in the God of light. The God who condescended to human form and gave his very being for our good.
Jesus called his people salt and light (Matthew 5:13, 14). When this is lived out, the world cannot but see radical charity and love expressed in good works which glorifies God (Matthew 5:16). This Sunday, Southern Baptist churches will take up the Lottie Moon offering for 3500 missionaries committed to bringing the love and truth of Jesus to the ends of the earth. What was it that lead Charlotte “Lottie” Moon to leave her genteel family and comfortable life and go to China? Her burden to bring the light of Jesus – a new relationship in Him that leads to a new way of doing life. This matters here and now. It matters for eternity for the unreached people groups who need to hear the good news that the Light has come into the world.
As we prepare for the festivities and celebrations, take in all the senses of the season— the decorations and greenery in the living room, laughter with family, good food and good drink, and of course all the lights. But let’s remember what’s behind these lights. A Light brighter than all others combined. God piercing the darkness through the incarnation and sacrificial life of Jesus. It seems too wonderful to believe and too good to miss. Jesus’s Light and life is worth celebrating. Merry Christmas.